12APL-'24, Friday of the Second Week of Easter

Friday of the Second Week of Easter

Lectionary: 271

Reading 1

Acts 5:34-42

A Pharisee in the Sanhedrin named Gamaliel,

a teacher of the law, respected by all the people,

stood up, ordered the Apostles to be put outside for a short time,

and said to the Sanhedrin, "Fellow children of Israel,

be careful what you are about to do to these men.

Some time ago, Theudas appeared, claiming to be someone important,

and about four hundred men joined him, but he was killed,

and all those who were loyal to him

were disbanded and came to nothing.

After him came Judas the Galilean at the time of the census.

He also drew people after him,

but he too perished and all who were loyal to him were scattered.

So now I tell you,

have nothing to do with these men, and let them go.

For if this endeavor or this activity is of human origin,

it will destroy itself.

But if it comes from God, you will not be able to destroy them;

you may even find yourselves fighting against God."

They were persuaded by him.

After recalling the Apostles, they had them flogged,

ordered them to stop speaking in the name of Jesus,

and dismissed them.

So they left the presence of the Sanhedrin,

rejoicing that they had been found worthy

to suffer dishonor for the sake of the name.

And all day long, both at the temple and in their homes,

they did not stop teaching and proclaiming the Christ, Jesus.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 27:1, 4, 13-14

R. (see 4abc) One thing I seek: to dwell in the house of the Lord.

or:

R. Alleluia.

The LORD is my light and my salvation;

whom should I fear?

The LORD is my life's refuge;

of whom should I be afraid?

R. One thing I seek: to dwell in the house of the Lord.

or:

R. Alleluia.

One thing I ask of the LORD

this I seek:

To dwell in the house of the LORD

all the days of my life,

That I may gaze on the loveliness of the LORD

and contemplate his temple.

R. One thing I seek: to dwell in the house of the Lord.

or:

R. Alleluia.

I believe that I shall see the bounty of the LORD

in the land of the living.

Wait for the LORD with courage;

be stouthearted, and wait for the LORD.

R. One thing I seek: to dwell in the house of the Lord.

or:

R. Alleluia.

Alleluia

Matthew 4:4b

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

One does not live on bread alone,

but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

John 6:1-15

Jesus went across the Sea of Galilee.

A large crowd followed him,

because they saw the signs he was performing on the sick.

Jesus went up on the mountain,

and there he sat down with his disciples.

The Jewish feast of Passover was near.

When Jesus raised his eyes and saw that a large crowd was coming to him,

he said to Philip, "Where can we buy enough food for them to eat?"

He said this to test him,

because he himself knew what he was going to do.

Philip answered him,

"Two hundred days' wages worth of food would not be enough

for each of them to have a little."

One of his disciples,

Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, said to him,

"There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish;

but what good are these for so many?"

Jesus said, "Have the people recline."

Now there was a great deal of grass in that place.

So the men reclined, about five thousand in number.

Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks,

and distributed them to those who were reclining,

and also as much of the fish as they wanted.

When they had had their fill, he said to his disciples,

"Gather the fragments left over,

so that nothing will be wasted."

So they collected them,

and filled twelve wicker baskets with fragments

from the five barley loaves that had been more than they could eat.

When the people saw the sign he had done, they said,

"This is truly the Prophet, the one who is to come into the world."

Since Jesus knew that they were going to come and carry him off

to make him king,

he withdrew again to the mountain alone.

Reflection 1

Catholic Daily Reflections 

Superabundance

“Gather the fragments left over, so that nothing will be wasted.” So they collected them, and filled twelve wicker baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves that had been more than they could eat.” John 6:12–13

John’s Gospel is filled with much symbolic meaning. The passage above concludes the story of the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes. After feeding the multitude of people with only five barley loaves and two fish, they were able to fill twelve wicker baskets with what remained. What was the reason for the extra?

Saint Augustine, in commenting upon this passage, explains that Jesus provided more than the people could eat as a way of symbolically representing spiritual truths that were beyond what the vast crowds could comprehend. Thus, Jesus’ teachings spiritually nourished the crowds to the point that they were fully satisfied. But even though the general crowds were satisfied with what Jesus taught them, there was still so much more that He had to teach. These deeper spiritual truths are represented by the extra twelve baskets.

The twelve baskets represent the Twelve Disciples. They were the ones specially chosen by Jesus to receive so much more. Recall the times when Jesus taught the crowds in parables and then, later, would explain the meaning to the Twelve in private. He revealed to them certain truths that most people could not understand and accept.

It is helpful to consider three different groups of people in this miracle and apply those groupings to us today. The first group of people are those who were not even present for the miracle. Those who did not make the journey to be with Jesus in the wilderness. This is the largest group of people within society who go about their daily lives without even seeking minimal nourishment from our Lord.

The second grouping of people is this “large crowd” who followed Jesus to the remote side of the Sea of Galilee to be with Him. These represent those who diligently seek out our Lord every day. These are those who are faithful to the celebration of the Mass, the reading of Scripture, to daily prayer and study. To this grouping of people, our Lord teaches many things, and they are nourished by His holy Word and Sacraments.

The third grouping of people, the Twelve Disciples who are represented by the Twelve wicker baskets left over, are those who are exceptionally faithful to our Lord and continue to be nourished by Him in a superabundant way. These are those who seek to understand and embrace the deepest spiritual truths so as to be nourished and transformed on the deepest level.

Reflect, today, upon the fact that the spiritual food our Lord wishes to offer you is most often far more than you can immediately accept and consume. But understanding that fact is the first step to disposing yourself to receive even more. As you reflect upon this superabundance of spiritual food from our Lord, recommit yourself especially to seek out that remaining “twelve wicker baskets” of spiritual truths. If you do, you will discover that there is truly no end to the transforming depths of the gifts of grace our Lord wishes to bestow upon you.

Reflection 2

One Bread, One Body

MULTIPLICATION TESTS

“He knew well what He intended to do but He asked this to test Philip’s response.” —John 6:6

When Jesus saw several thousand people “coming toward Him, He said to Philip, ‘Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?’ ” (Jn 6:5) “He asked this to test Philip’s response” (Jn 6:6).

Jesus sees several billion people who don’t know Him personally and therefore don’t even have the chance to love Him. Then, to test you, Jesus says to you: “Where will you and I obtain hundreds of thousands of workers for this harvest?” (see Mt 9:37) What will you say to Jesus? What will you do? Will you pass the test?

Jesus sees over nine million babies being killed by surgical and chemical abortion in the USA each year. To test you, He says to you: “What are we going to do about it?” Will you pass the test, or be bogged down in the apparent statistical impossibility of stopping Planned Parenthood and its henchmen?

Jesus sees countless broken marriages, single parents, fatherless children, broken hearts, refugees, abused people, oppressed people, sick people, etc. What are you and Jesus going to do about it? Don’t tell Jesus that you’re only one person, you don’t have much money, you’re not famous, you’re too old or too young, or nobody else is doing anything. Give Jesus all your loaves, all your fish, and all your life. Pass the test.

Prayer:  Father, I give You my seemingly insignificant “all” to be multiplied into Your sufficiency.

Promise:  “Day after day, both in the temple and at home, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news of Jesus the Messiah.” —Acts 5:42

Praise:  Joan volunteered for thirty-five years to spread the Good News, right until her death.

Reflection 3

Shared from God's Word

Food is one of our basic human needs.  Life cannot be sustained for long without adequate food and water. Seeing a large crowd approaching, Jesus expresses his concern as to providing them with food. While Philip sees it as an impossible task, Andrew informs Jesus that a little boy has five barley loaves and two fish. Jesus feeds the crowd to their satisfaction and the disciples collect twelve baskets of leftovers.  Jesus could perform this great sign because the little boy was generous enough to hand over his five loaves and two fish. Do we trust Jesus to do the apparently impossible tasks with the little at our disposal? Are we generous, like the little boy, with our time, gifts and talents for the sake of others?

Prayers 

My most generous Lord, You not only give spiritual nourishment to Your people, You give it in superabundance. As I daily seek You out and am filled with Your mercy, help me to never tire of feasting upon the superabundant gift of Your grace. Please do nourish me, dear Lord, and help me to consume Your holy Word. Jesus, I trust in You.

Lord Jesus, you satisfy the deepest longing of our heart and you feed us with the finest of wheat (Psalm 81:16). Fill me with gratitude and give me a generous heart that I may freely share with others what you have given to me.

Daily Reflections on Divine Mercy

Reflection 102: God Uses the Weak

If you were God, and you had some glorious task you wanted accomplished, who would you choose?  Someone with manifest gifts?  Or someone who is weak, humble and appears to have very few natural gifts?  Surprisingly, God most often chooses the weak for the greatest tasks.  This is one way through which He is able to manifest His almighty power (See Diary #464).

Reflect, today, upon whether you have a high and lofty view of yourself and your abilities.  If so, be careful. God has a hard time using someone who thinks this way.  Seek to see your lowliness and humble yourself before the glory of God.  He wants to use you for great things, but only if you allow Him to be the one who acts in and through you.  That way, the glory belongs with Him and the work is accomplished according to His perfect wisdom and is a fruit of His abundant Mercy.

Lord, I offer myself for Your service.  Help me to always come to You in humility, acknowledging my weakness and sin.  In this humble state, please shine through so that Your glory and power will do great things.  Jesus, I trust in You.